


The Sound of Safety

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, KakaObi Week 2020, M/M, Memories, Nightmares, Orochimaru is Kakashi's Mama, Otogakure - Freeform, Rescuing Obito, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:21:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22342501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Kakashi's life has been filled with struggles, but as long as Obito is threaded through it and there to pull him up when he sinks, even nightmarish reminders of the worst times aren't so very hard to shake off.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 6
Kudos: 151
Collections: KakaObi Week 2020, Kalira's KakaObi Week Stories (2020)





	The Sound of Safety

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [KakaObi Week 2020](https://kakaobiweek.tumblr.com/post/188302902444/kakaobi-week-2020), Day 7: Nightmare
> 
> I actually began this thinking it would be for Day 3, Different Villages, but . . . well, as I wrote it, it definitely fit this prompt better. >.>

“I’m sorry, Kakashi-senpai. I don’t want to be doing this either. . .”

Kakashi glared at Itachi, whose eyes spun red with the Sharingan as he readied himself with a blade in one hand and the other holding a spread of shuriken. But he was too young and too slow, he wouldn’t be able to best Kakashi - certainly not to _catch_ him.

Kakashi might not be confident in using Obito’s Sharingan yet - his heart stabbed with pain at the thought of his lost teammate - but he didn’t need it to win this.

It was harder to best Itachi without _killing_ him, and Kakashi was panting, a line of fire running up his side from Itachi’s sword, by the time he left Itachi behind, unconscious, and continued running. He didn’t know where he was going, he didn’t-

Kakashi had never even _considered_ going nuke nin, but he _couldn’t_ go back to Konoha.

He couldn’t let them take Obito’s legacy, his gift. Kakashi sniffed, eyes welling with tears, and ran harder, though he still didn’t know where he was headed.

 _“Kakashi? **Kakashi!** Baby, please wake up?”  
_  
“Kakashi?”

Kakashi collapsed, worn almost out and unable to react quickly enough when something caught him around the ankles. It was warm and smooth and it moved on its own - not chakra wire, not rope. Kakashi thrashed, turning over, and stifled a cry as he strained the wound in his side, only to freeze as he came eye to snout with a large snake.

“Oh, kami, Kakashi, precious, what happened to you?”

Kakashi tilted his head very carefully, but there was a gentle, _familiar_ touch along his brow that made his chest tighten and his breath catch even before he met deep golden eyes. Kakashi whimpered, memories he’d stuffed down hard surging upwards again, finding himself too exhausted to fight the hurt and grief that had been chasing him even more determinedly than his fellow Konoha nin.

“Mother?” Kakashi called weakly, and Orochimaru crooned, drawing Kakashi nearer and reaching out towards his face with a green-glowing hand.

Kakashi blacked out.

_“Kakashi, baby. . . Come on, you’re safe, everything is all right.”_

Kakashi tensed, pain lancing through his head and flaring in his side and chest.

“Easy, you’re not quite healed yet, cubling.”

He relaxed again almost before the words even registered, the soft voice and the affectionate name reaching past years of training to memories of a home filled with pack and love. The achy warmth in his side barely reached him to be troubling, but he was still crying by the time Orochimaru stroked his cheek and told him he could get up if he liked.

Kakashi tried, still weak from the days of running and fighting, and Orochimaru supported him when he faltered, helping him up as he gasped for breath and fought sobs.

“Kakashi, cubling. . .” Orochimaru stroked his hair and cupped his jaw. “What _happened_ , my little one?”

Kakashi looked his mother in the eye and opened his mouth, then faltered. Orochimaru’s face twisted with worry, his touch gentle as he drew Kakashi into an embrace.

Held in the warmth and security offered by his mother’s embrace, Kakashi spilled out why he’d been running, then further back, to the disaster that had been the Kannabi Bridge mission. As Orochimaru rocked him soothingly, listening and asking questions, Kakashi continued to talk, a somewhat confused retelling of everything that had happened since he lost his mother in his life.

Orochimaru listened to it all, hugging Kakashi tighter when he shook and sobbed, as though he were still so much younger . . . as he had been the last time he was held safe in his mother’s arms. The last time he had so much as seen his mother. Kakashi buried his face against Orochimaru’s shoulder and whined, gasping for breath with a stuffy nose and aching eyes as the tears continued to come.

_“You’re worrying me, Kakashi, come on baby. . . Wake up and tell me I’m being a fool.”_

It had been after the third time Kakashi swooned for no reason upon using a simple jutsu - what _should_ have been a simple jutsu - that Orochimaru buckled down to figure out what was wrong with him, putting aside almost everything else.

Kakashi was still a little amazed that no one objected, or seemed to resent it. Instead, they took his mother’s orders and stepped up to do whatever he told them he needed to be handled whilst he was busy, and the ‘village’ continued to run smoothly despite Orochimaru’s preoccupation.

There was something of a fight when it came to it and Kakashi presented himself to come along on the mission, but Orochimaru had bowed to the logic he had argued . . . and perhaps also suspected he wouldn’t have stayed behind without a hell of a lot more fighting.

Kakashi hadn’t exactly wished he had not come along when they found their target, but . . . he had definitely wished he wasn’t seeing what was before him.

“ _Obito!_ Holy-” Kakashi jerked as something grabbed him and snarled, spinning and lashing out with his tanto. A bare suggestion sent chakra sparking along the blade that had been forged to carry Hatake lightning, and Kakashi’s eye widened as he saw a strange not-quite-human figure yelping and squirming away, thrashing with the lightning rushing over its body.

“Kakashi? _Kakashi!_ ” Obito half-sobbed, and Kakashi turned again, darting to his friend as Obito struggled to rise. “You’re- You’re _here_ , oh Kami, you- Kakashi- Please-”

Obito hardly made sense as he continued to spill words in a rush, sobbing and slurring a little as he clutched at Kakashi. Kakashi fell back on instinct, wrapping his free arm around Obito and crooning soothingly, nuzzling him. He remained there, though with his senses alert and his tanto in hand, until something seized him once more, trying to drag him away from Obito.

He snarled a challenge and fought back, dispatching the enemy and staying near Obito as chaos reigned in the whole of the cave. He waited for Orochimaru to find them, and even when Orochimaru joined them, he stepped back only enough to let his mother inspect his friend.

When they prepared to leave Obito insisted he was well enough to run, and gave it a sound attempt when allowed to try, but Kakashi wound up carrying him most of the trip home to Otogakure regardless. Obito fussed and protested . . . but Kakashi couldn’t help but notice how tightly he was holding to Kakashi, all but cuddling into him, and occasionally he heard distressed whimpering or thin sobs, though Obito did a good job of concealing the soft sounds against his shoulder.

Kakashi hadn’t realised how much Obito’s distress had put his hackles up until another nin tried to take Obito from him when they reached Oto. He snarled protectively before he’d even thought about it, his grip on Obito tightening.

“Kakashi, come with me. Obito, I doubt you know me,” Orochimaru said gently, leading them inside, “but I promise to help you, if you allow it.”

Obito had been understandably wary, but Kakashi’s mother was persuasive and convincing, and with Kakashi staying near he had allowed himself to be examined, and though it had taken some time after, slowly, to be treated.

Kakashi had all but moved into the room Obito had been assigned in the medical wing of the underground warren they were currently calling home - and then, barely a week later, Obito - they - were inexplicably moved to one of the few spires aboveground, far away from the rest of the medical complex. Kakashi suspected his mother had wanted to offer the reassurance that he was free to Obito, with the wide windows and the sea far below, after he had been trapped in that dark, close cave for so long.

Obito had settled in well there and Kakashi had remained in that room with him for long enough the suggestion of moving back out when Obito was recovered and more sure of himself had been strange.

They had still been sharing a room when Obito was cleared for missions, and on the very first mission they took that brought them outside of Oto they had run into a squad of Konoha ANBU. Some of them Kakashi had trained with.

It was unclear whether they had been hunting for Kakashi - still - or on another mission and had merely reacted to the unexpected crossing of paths. Neither Obito nor Kakashi had waited to find out before lashing out in response, and putting down the attackers hard. It hurt, facing people he knew, people he had once _trusted at his back_ , knowing that they wanted him down, maybe dead, wanted-

“Kakashi!” Obito yelled as a blade found its way _through_ Kakashi’s shoulder, and he hissed in pain, then barked a reminder to _focus_ at his partner. “Fucking fuck, it’s _fine_ , take your own advice!” Obito countered harshly, glaring.

Kakashi laughed, then louder as his opponent fell back, a spike of fear in her scent. He knew her, but she had apparently never known him, not really. Kakashi forced himself not to hesitate this time as he struck, drawing blood with a deep blow across her chest.

He howled as a katon jutsu wrapped around him, but Obito wrested control of it quickly, saving Kakashi from anything more than a mild scorching and seared lungs. He-

_“Kami damn it, Kakashi, **please** , just-”_

* * *

“Obito?” Kakashi said thickly, shaken and confused, chest still throbbing with the effects of breathing that heated air, and Obito’s shout melted into a wordless cry of relief. Kakashi let out a rough groan as Obito’s arms wound tightly around him, but didn’t protest, only shifted to return the embrace, slow and stiff.

Obito gasped against his shoulder, then released his tight clasp just to punch Kakashi in the side. “You _fucker_ I was _terrified_ , you’ve been sobbing and screaming and snarling in your sleep for what must have been an _hour_.” he snapped against Kakashi’s shoulder.

“Oh. Oh, I’m sorry, love.” Kakashi said, still sorting out his head. Memories. Old memories now, years gone, but. . .

But they still hurt.

Kakashi crooned, nuzzling affectionately as Obito pressed closer against him, face buried in the crook of his shoulder and body snug atop his own. “I’m all right. I’m right here. I was just . . . lost in some old memories.” he said softly.

“You _wouldn’t wake up_.” Obito said, sniffing. “You’re _never_ like that . . . and you never scream in your sleep. I was _this close_ to going to get your mother, or- But I couldn’t _leave_ you.” His arms tightened around Kakashi’s waist again.

“Going to get my mother to soothe my nightmares?” Kakashi laughed wryly, even as he shifted enough to nestle his nose in Obito’s hair, breathing in the comfort of his scent. “Am I such a cubling still?”

Obito laughed wetly, and Kakashi’s slight smile faded. His mate was deeply distressed, and while he hadn’t caused it actively, it was due to him.

. . .for that matter, Kakashi was still somewhat shaken himself. He swallowed and twisted, curling their bodies a little closer together, seeking the comforting warmth and solidity Obito offered by his presence.

As Obito stroked his back and muttered in his ear, Kakashi calmed, his mind ticking along busily.

“That jutsu. The one that we didn’t recognise, that felt like the weakest fuuton ever.” Kakashi said, frowning.

“What about it? It didn’t- _Oh._ ” Obito interrupted himself. “No, surely. . .”

“I never dream like that. It was. . . Years of memories. Nightmares. The worst things I can remember, and. . .” Kakashi shook his head. “I don’t usually . . . do I?”

“No.” Obito said, catching his breath with a little hitch. “No, you’ve never cried out like that before, even when you have a nightmare.” He drew back a little, looking Kakashi in the eye. “You’ve- I’ve never been unable to wake you, either. Kakashi, it was . . . it was _terrifying_. It was like you were trapped, and I couldn’t _get to you_ , even with you right here in my arms. . .”

Kakashi nuzzled and kissed him softly, running gentle fingers through Obito’s hair. “I’m here.” he promised, and shuddered at the picture Obito painted as much as the memories he had mostly laid to rest, as fresh and raw as the nightmares had made them feel after being trapped within them.

“I see.” Obito said wryly, and closed his eye as he rested his brow against Kakashi’s. “Don’t do that to me again.” he ordered, his needily tight grip making it more than clear what was behind the demand.

“I’ll do my best, love.” Kakashi promised gently. He swallowed. “Thank you for being here with me.” he added, nosing Obito’s cheek.

“Always.” Obito said softly, easing his grip just enough to find one of Kakashi’s hands and twine their fingers. “Just as you are for me.”

“Always.” Kakashi returned, a little more settled at the reminder.

“We should talk to your mother about that jutsu in the morning.” Obito said after a few minutes, and Kakashi sighed, nodding. “Unless you think we need to do it now? Do you think it still has you?”

“No, let him sleep.” Kakashi stifled a yawn. “And let _us_ sleep. If you think you can?”

“With you here? Yes.” Obito said, hugging Kakashi pointedly tighter for a moment. “If you wake me up screaming in your sleep again _I’m_ going to make you scream.” he added warningly, and Kakashi snickered. “Shut up! You know exactly what I mean!”

“Yes, love.” Kakashi agreed, amused, and kissed Obito lightly. “I shall do my best not to repeat the . . . adventure.”

“You’d damn well better.” Obito grouched, wriggling in his arms and settling into a slightly more relaxed cuddle with a sigh. Kakashi trailed light kisses across his face, making him smile as he rubbed his thumb up and down Kakashi’s hand.

**Author's Note:**

> . . .I absolutely chose the title partly for the Oto link. >.>


End file.
